Buoyed by fresh faces and the return of last season's playoff heroes, the Yorkton Terriers are off to a hot start.
The Terriers, 3-1, sit tied for the lead in the Sherwood Conference at this point in the young season.
Yorkton has also been the most disciplined team to start the season, having recorded the fewest penalty minutes in the entire SJHL.
It was a solid week for the Terriers, who got things going last Thursday with a 5-4 win over Kindersley.
The game did not start well for Yorkton, however. Klippers forward Taylor Duzan and defenceman Justin Gerwing got things started with goals in the first period to seize a 2-0 lead.
The Terriers managed to cut the deficit in half, to the delight of the 781 patrons at the Farrell Agencies Arena, on a goal by Clarke Breitkreuz. Newcomer Craig Eisenhut drew the assist on the 2-1 goal.
After going down 3-1, the Terriers managed to tie things up with goals from Keon Vick (unassisted) and newly-appointed captain Blaine Tendler (from Drew McDermott and Robbie Ciolfi).
With time ticking down in the second period, Kindersley's Gerwing notched his second goal to restore the one-goal lead.
Fortunately for the Terriers, the third period was the Zak Majkowski show.
The new Terriers centre got things underway by putting home a powerplay goal from Brent Struble and Devon McMullen. The goal tied things up again, this time at four.
With just over seven minutes remaining in the contest, Majkowski struck again with his third of the season. The goal would stand up as the winner and the Terriers took home a 5-4 victory.
The Yorkton powerplay was clicking at 50 per cent for the game - going two for four.
Goaltender Devin Peters picked up the win, stopping 23 of 27 shots that came his way while Kindersley's Scott Hellyer made 25 saves in the loss.
Majkowski was named first star, predictably, for his efforts while Keon Vick claimed second star honours.
Sporting a 2-1 record, the Terriers again played host on Saturday, this time to the Nipawin Hawks.
Much like the Thursday affair, the Terriers did not get off to a quick start.
In fact, it was Nipawin who took a two-goal lead into the first intermission.
The second period was a different story.
Gary Rai got the party started with his first of the season from Riley Paterson.
Craig Eisenhut followed suit with his first of the year nearly two minutes later. Eisenhut's marker was scored on the powerplay with Clarke Breitkreuz and Devon McMullen providing the assists.
Following a goal by Rylan McDonell, Robbie Ciolfi took matters into his own hands - registering two shorthanded markers just four minutes apart.
The shocked Hawks managed to get one goal back from Tanner Dusyk but headed into the second intermission reeling, down 5-3.
However, whatever edge the Terriers had gained with their second-period effort was quickly neutralized in the third.
Nipawin came out flying in the final frame, notching two goals to even the score.
Although both sides had quality chances down the stretch, the score remained deadlocked and required extra time.
Often times, a hockey team will only go as far as it's leaders can take them. Terriers captain Blaine Tendler lead the way in overtime, scoring the winner at 2:08 of the period on a shot from the faceoff circle.
The powerplay goal was assisted by Zak Majkowski and Breitkreuz (his third assist on the day).
Both team's powerplays were especially potent for the game with Nipawin going three for seven and Yorkton scoring twice on five opportunities.
With several key offensive contributors departing in the offseason, goal scoring was expected to be a question mark for the 2010-2011 Yorkton Terriers.
This hasn't been the case, so far anyway.
"Everyone's got to step up and contribute. So far everyone's been scoring goals and just contributing in any way they can," Tendler points out.
Having been honoured with a "C" on his jersey, the new Terriers captain says that he is just one of the many leaders on the team.
"There's no shortage of leadership in this dressing room," he states.
Head Coach Trent Cassan was pleased with the victory but expresses the need for his team to be consistent - especially after squandering a 5-2 lead.
"(In) the third period, it seemed like we were just kind of content with letting them hang around. (Nipawin's) a dangerous team, they never quit," he emphasizes.
While maintaining the importance of defensive play, Cassan says he wants to give his players a chance to create offensively.
"We want to play an up-tempo game where we keep the puck moving forward (and) try and keep teams back on their heels," Cassan indicates.
Despite the strong start, Cassan continues to stress that it is only the fourth game of the year and there is much to improve upon.
With three wins in their first four games - so far, so good.
